Kathy Duva, CEO – Main Events: All right, everybody, welcome. We are here today to officially kick off the promotion for a fight that’s going to take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 25. That’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev is going to fight Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in a fight that is going to be a little departure for what Sergey’s gone through lately. It’s going to be a fight where both guys stand in the ring and throw punches at each other.

I think it’s going to be entertaining and fun for all. We’re thrilled to be bringing Sergey to the Mecca of Boxing for the very first time. It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while and I want to thank Joel Fischer, Sal Federico and, of course, Larry [Torres] of Madison Square Garden, who is here with us today.

It is the number one destination for boxing in the country as far as I’m concerned and we’re really looking forward to putting on a tremendous show. Sergey, of course, the former unified light heavyweight world champion, with a 30-2-1 record, with 26 knockouts; he’s anxious to get back to his “krushing” ways. It’s been over two years since he’s fought on regular HBO in the United States. It is time to get back on track and based on what we’ve heard this morning, apparently, he’s the man in the light heavyweight division again! Sergey said he was going to retire Ward; I guess he did.

He’s going to be fighting Vyacheslav “Lion Heart” Shabranskyy, 19-1, with 16 knockouts and he is the current WBC USNBC Light Heavyweight Champion. This bout is scheduled to be a 10-round light heavyweight matchup and it will be in the Theater live on HBO Boxing After Dark® beginning at 10:00 PM, Eastern and Pacific.

At this moment, tickets have already gone on sale. Our presale was very good and you can still get them at ticketmaster.com and the MSG box office. They start at $50 and range up to $350 for ringside, so this is a very nicely priced event. I think it’s going to be terrific. We’re going to have lots of other fighters on the undercard, you’ll hear more about them in the coming weeks, but we’ve got a lot of guys who will be from New York who are just starting out with Main Events, some others who’ve been with us for a while. Every fight, as a usual, Jolene puts together the best undercards in boxing, as far as I’m concerned, and I’m sure she won’t let us down because she never does.

It is my pleasure to introduce my friend Ray Stallone, HBO Vice President of Media Relations.

Ray Stallone: Thank you. Not too many comments but I just want to obviously say thank you to our host here today, the Renaissance. This is a really, really nice venue. This is so bright, so airy, so classy, it is just lovely. The next time someone asks for recommendation where we should go in New York, this would certainly be considered. (more…)

New York, NY: Tickets go on sale Today at noon for the upcoming showdown between former Unified Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) and Vyacheslav “Lion-Heart Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy (19-1, 16 KOs) which takes place on Saturday, November 25 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Tickets for this exciting event are priced between $50 and $350 and are available at ticketmaster.com and the Madison Square Garden box office.

Click Here to Purchase Tickets on Ticketmaster

Kovalev vs. Shabranskyy will be promoted by Main Events and Krusher Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions, and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Kovalev is a former three-belt light heavyweight world champion and Shabranskyy is currently ranked #3 by the WBC and #2 by the WBA at light heavyweight. With both fighters having greater than an 80% knockout-to-win ratio expect this fight to be filled with fireworks!

About Kovalev-Shabranskyy: The Saturday, November 25 bout between Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy is a 10-round light heavyweight match-up at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event is promoted by Main Events and Krusher Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions and will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Tickets go on sale September 19, 2017 and are available at ticketmaster.com and the Madison Square Garden Box Office.
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New York, NY: Former Unified Light Heavyweight World Champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) returns to the ring Saturday, November 25 at The Theater Madison Square Garden to take on hard-hitting contender Vyacheslav “Lion-Heart Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy (19-1, 16 KOs) in a ten-round light heavyweight showdown. Kovalev vs. Shabranskyy will be promoted by Main Events and Krusher Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions, and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for this exciting event will go on sale soon.

The Krusher, 34, from Chelyabinsk, Russia, rose to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings as he quickly tore through the light heavyweight division, stopping 26 of his 33 opponents. He won the WBO Light Heavyweight Title from Nathan Cleverly in 2013 when he stopped the then-unbeaten champion in Cleverly’s backyard. After three straight title defenses, all knockouts, Kovalev dominated future Hall-of-Famer Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins in a unanimous decision shutout to add the WBA and IBF belts to his collection. He continued his run as the unified light heavyweight champion for two more years before meeting undefeated champion and Olympic gold medalist Andre “SOG” Ward in Las Vegas and on HBO pay-per-view. Kovalev dropped two controversial and hard-fought losses to the current pound-for-pound king.

Now, Sergey Kovalev is ready to write the next chapter of his career. Before returning to the United States from a summer in Russia, he spent time at a monastery in Greece to clear his head and prepare mentally and spiritually for his climb back to the top of his division. Kovalev said, “I learned a lot from my fights with Andre Ward. When you don’t win and when you suffer adversity, it makes you stronger. It also shows you who your real friends are. I feel like I cleaned out my life and now I’m ready to start fresh. I’m very excited to get back in the ring, and fight at Madison Square Garden for the first time, and I’m focused on the future. I’m not looking back.”

New York, July 5, 2017Following his recent knockout of boxing legend BERNARD HOPKINS, Long Island fan favorite JOE SMITH JR. moved right into the mix in the light heavyweight division, boxing’s deepest and most exciting.Working full-time as a union laborer in the New York City area, Smith (23-1-0, 19 KO’s) will take a short break from wielding the sledgehammer as he finalizes training for his upcoming 10-round showdown with fellow highly ranked contender SULLIVAN BARRERA, (19-1-0, 14 KO’s), on Saturday, July 15 from The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles and telecast live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark (9:50 p.m. ET/PT).Most recently a new #1 Pound-for-Pound in boxing from the light heavyweight division was heralded as ANDRE WARD defeated SERGEY KOVALEV for the second time on June 17, defending the WBA/IBF/WBO Light Heavyweight Titles. On June 3, longtime WBC Light Heavyweight Champion ADONIS STEVENSON stopped highly ranked contender ANDRZEJ FONFARA.In addition to those two champions the division is filled with world class fighters and highly regarded contenders including ARTUR BETERBIEV, DMITRY BIVOL, OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK and ELEIDER ALVAREZ .”It’s true the division is truly heating up and I’m honored to be a part of it,” said the 27-year-old Smith Jr.

“The winner of my upcoming fight moves right into the top of the mix in the division.” With my last two knockouts I have the full confidence that the sky is the limit for me in this division, I want to achieve my dream of becoming a world champion.”

Smith Jr. is promoted by JOE DEGUARDIA’S STAR BOXING who has developed the heavy handed Long Island native over the last few years into a world ranked contender and holder of the WBC International Light Heavyweight Title.

“Timing is always very important when bringing along a fighter to a higher level,” said DeGuardia. “We started working together a few years ago and our plan was to continue developing Joe’s talents and present him with the right opportunities for success. This is a formula we’ve used many times in the past in building fighters the right way.”

“When the opportunity came to fight Andrzej Fonfara we believed as a team that Joe was ready and he was spectacular in the first round knockout victory. The same with fighting Bernard Hopkins, it was a great opportunity and Joe put on another star making performance.”

“With the Sullivan Barrera fight the stakes are even higher but we feel this is another great opportunity for Joe, back on HBO which has built many stars over the last forty years.”

Known as “The Common Man”, Irish-American Joe Smith Jr. burst onto the international boxing scene last June, knocking out the highly favored, former world title challenger Andrzej Fonfara in the first round of a nationally televised contest (NBC) from the Pole’s hometown of Chicago.

Six months later Smith challenged future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins at the Fabulous Forum and live on HBO. Dominating the legend on December 17 through the first seven rounds, the construction union laborer Smith drilled Hopkins to the canvas and out of the ring earning the knockout in the eighth round. Sullivan Barrera is riding a two-bout knockout streak with victories over Paul Parker on April 15 and Vyacheslav Shabaranskyy on December 16, 2016.

His only loss was to light heavyweight champion Andre Ward by unanimous decision in March 2016, and Barrera is considered one of the top fighters in the stacked division. Smith vs. Barrera is presented by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Main Events. This fight is part of a sensational triple header featuring Miguel Berchelt vs. Takashi Miura, a 12-round fight for the WBC Super Featherweight World Championship and the WBA Super Featherweight World Championship with Jezreel “El Invisible” Corrales defending his title against Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos. Berchelt-Miura is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions and Teiken Promotions.

Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $75 and $125, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or the Forum Box Office (Monday through Friday 11:00 a.m. PST to 7:00 p.m. PST) at (310) 330-7300. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.fabulousforum.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Born and raised on Long Island, the 27-year-old JOE SMITH JR., (23-1 19 KO’s), has taken the road less travelled to the top of the light heavyweight division. From battling in the New York Golden Gloves to defeating boxing legend Bernard Hopkins live on HBO World Championship Boxing at the iconic Los Angeles venue, The Fabulous Forum this past December, JOE SMITH JR. proved he shines brightest on the biggest stage.

The next chapter in Smith Jr.’s inspiring career takes place Saturday, July 15 in his triumphant return to The Fabulous Forum against SULLIVAN BARRERA, (19-1, 14 KO’s) in a scheduled 10-round clash televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:50 p.m. ET/PT.

With just 50 amateur fights under his belt, highlighted by a New York Golden Gloves Championship victory over Long Island rival Seanie Monaghan, Smith Jr. made his professional debut on Halloween Night, 2009 knocking out David Brown in the first round at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Following his knockout victory, Smith Jr. returned to his construction job, working with the General Laborers Union, Local 66. Punching in at 5:30 am and punching the bag at 6:00 pm, Smith Jr. found a balance between being a professional boxer and a Union Laborer.

Smith Jr. followed up his pro debut with five more early knockouts before the only loss in his eight-year career, suffering a broken jaw against Eddie Caminero in August 2010.

Back to work in the summer of 2010, Smith Jr. won his next ten fights and caught the eye of Star Boxing CEO and President JOE DEGUARDIA.

Signing with Star Boxing, Smith Jr. made his debut under their banner on December 20, 2014 with a first round knockout of Maxell Taylor at The Paramount in Huntington, New York.

Two more knockouts followed against Dion Savage and Cory Cummings before Smith Jr. faced fellow New York City area rival Will Rosinsky on December 15, 2015.

Fighting for the first time at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and on the undercard to the World Middleweight Championship between Daniel Jacobs and Peter Quillen, Smith Jr. displayed an array of boxing skills, an excellent jab and his trademark power shots from both hands to win a dominant ten round unanimous decision.

While Smith Jr. began compiling victories, and rising in the ranks of the Light Heavyweight division, he never lost track of his humble beginnings, and continued to work as a union laborer.

Returning to The Paramount on April 23, Smith Jr. got back in the knockout column stopping Fabiano Pena in the second round.

Smith Jr.’s biggest break of his career came on June 18, 2016 as he traveled to Chicago, Illinois to face Polish hometown favorite and former world title challenger Andrzej Fonfara, televised nation wide live, primetime on NBC.

Coming into the fight a decided underdog, Smith Jr. let his hands go from the opening bell, drilling Fonfara to the canvas with a beautiful right hand to the head. Although Fonfara beat the count, Smith Jr. followed with a flurry of unanswered power shots, which caused referee Hector Atu to call a halt to the action.

With the knockout victory, Smith Jr. was awarded the WBC International Light Heavyweight Title, which Fonfara had held.

Smith Jr. continued to be the peoples champion, just like the athletes of old, maintaining a job while plying his trade as a boxer.

Weeks later Smith Jr. was offered another extraordinary opportunity by his promoter, a fight with boxing legend Bernard Hopkins on Saturday, December 17 at The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles.

Fighting on the West Coast for the first time, Smith Jr. dominated Hopkins, firing away at will with power shots throughout every round. Sending the future Hall of-Famer though the ropes with a battering combination from his heavy hands, Smith Jr. earned the victory by knockout in the eighth round.

Following the two knockouts of Fonfara and Hopkins, Smith Jr. earned numerous accolades from the national boxing media for “The Story of the Year”. “Knockout of the Year” and “Upset of the Year”.

Smith Jr. continues his quest to become a world champion by fighting Sullivan Barrera on July 15at The Fabulous Forum, where a victory will bring this Common Man and Top Contender one step closer to realizing his dream of being the Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Known as “The Common Man”, Irish-American Joe Smith Jr. burst onto the international boxing scene last June, knocking out the highly favored, former world title challenger Andrzej Fonfara in the first round of a nationally televised contest (NBC) from the Pole’s hometown of Chicago. (more…)

NEW YORK CITY (June 28, 2017) Hard hitting light heavyweight contender JOE SMITH JR., (23-1 19 KO’s), held court in front of a tremendous crowd of New York City media on Tuesday afternoon at the Mendez Boxing Gym ahead of his highly anticipated 10-round clash with fellow contender SULLIVAN BARRERA (19-1, 14 KO’s) set for Saturday, July 15 at The Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, California and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:50 p.m. ET.

JOE SMITH JR.

“It feels great to be fighting on HBO, I’m looking forward to it, I’m in great shape and ready to

put on a tremendous performance against Sullivan Barrera.”

“It’s not like fighting at home but I’m looking forward to fighting at the Forum again, I was treated very well there and it’s a tremendous and legendary venue. I like Los Angeles, the fans were very good to me as well.”

“Along with the media, it’s great to see some many of my union brothers here at the media workout, I truly appreciate all the support they’ve shown me.”

“I saw Sullivan Barrera’s fight with Andre Ward and I’ve seen a few of his other fights. This fight is a huge challenge to me, he’s got a lot of experience but I’ll be ready on July 15.”

“I’d still like to fight Adonis Stevenson, I was ready this year and I’ll be ready at any time but now my focus is solely on this fight.”

“I’ll definitely be going back to working for the union in the future when I’m not training for a fight, it’s a great job and they’ve been very supportive of me throughout my career.

“Joe DeGuardia has done a great job of getting me these opportunities, particularly with Fonfara and Hopkins and now with Barrera, it’s my job to take care of business in the ring.”

JOE DEGUARDIA, President and CEO of Star Boxing

“We’re all very excited for Joe, he’s in tremendous shape as you can see. Barrera is another challenge for Joe and he’s well prepared to be victorious.”

INFO:

Known as “The Common Man”, Irish-American Joe Smith Jr. burst onto the international boxing scene last June, knocking out the highly favored, former world title challenger Andrzej Fonfara in the first round of a nationally televised contest (NBC) from the Pole’s hometown of Chicago.

Six months later Smith challenged future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins at the Fabulous Forum and live on HBO. Dominating the legend on December 17 through the first seven rounds, the construction union laborer Smith drilled Hopkins to the canvas and out of the ring earning the knockout in the eighth round.

Sullivan Barrera is riding a two bout knockout streak with victories over Paul Parker on April 15 and Vyacheslav Shabaranskyy on December 16, 2016. His only loss was a decision to light heavyweight champion Andre Ward in March 2016, and Barrera is considered one of the top fighters in the stacked division.

Smith vs. Barrera is presented by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Main Events. This fight is part of a sensational triple header featuring Miguel Berchelt vs. Takashi Miura, a 12-round fight for the WBC Super Featherweight World Championship and the WBA Super Featherweight World Championship with Jezreel “El Invisible” Corrales defending his title against Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos. Berchelt-Miura is presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Zanfer Promotions and Teiken Promotions.

The event is sponsored by Tecate, BORN BOLD and Casa Mexico Tequila and will take place on Saturday, July 15 at Los Angeles’ “Fabulous” Forum and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark at 9:50 P.M EST.

Tickets are priced at $25, $50, $75 and $125, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or the Forum Box Office (Monday through Friday 11:00 a.m. PST to 7:00 p.m. PST) at (310) 330-7300. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.fabulousforum.com or www.ticketmaster.com. (more…)

Press Release: Los Angeles-based Vyacheslav “Lionheart Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy (17-0, 14 KOs) will look to continue his run up the light heavyweight ladder, but standing in his way will be his toughest competition to date in Cuba’s Sullivan Barrera (17-1, 12 KOs), as the two are set for a ten-round bout for on Friday, December 16th at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.

Shabranskyy is coming off of victories inside the distance in his last seven of eight fights and last appeared on HBO Latino at the end of last year when he earned a hard-fought majority decision against rugged contender Yunieski Gonzalez.

“My goal is to win a world championship in the light heavyweight division, and Barrera is just another stepping stone on that path,” Shabranskyy said. “I am excited to make my second appearance on HBO Latino, and look forward to fans seeing me get ready to take on any upcoming challenges in the ring.”

Barrera is a standout boxer/puncher out of Cuba, now living in Miami. His only pro loss was a hard-fought battle against top five pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward. Barrera’s main challenge has been finding opponents willing to step into the ring against him.

“I’m looking forward to December 16th. My respect to Shabranskyy for agreeing to fight me,” said Barrera. “This will be a great fight for the fans!”

“Anyone who has heard me talk about Slava over the last few years knows that I’m extremely bullish on him winning a world championship in his next few fights,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.”He can do anything in the ring – he’s got power in both hands, he moves incredibly well for a tall fighter and he has an incredible capacity to learn from his mistakes. With a win against Barrera, Slava will position himself for some very big things in 2017. (more…)

Former two-division world champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs), and Light Heavyweight contender Joe Smith, Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs) will hold a press conference at The “Fabulous” Forum in Los Angeles to officially announce their upcoming 12-round bout slated for Saturday, December 17. The bout will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®. Also, in attendance for this press conference will be Los Angeles-based undefeated Vyacheslav “Lionheart Chingonskyy” Shabranskyy (17-0, 14 KOs) as he takes on Cuban standout Sullivan Barrera (17-1, 12 KOs) for a 10-round bout for Shabranskyy’s WBC USNBC Light Heavyweight title on HBO Latino® Boxing on Friday, December 16 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Also in attendance on Monday will be former WBC Silver featherweight titlist Ronny Rios (26-1, 11 KOs) and Roy “Pitbull” Tapia (12-1-2, 6 KOs) who will be the opening bout of the HBO Latino® card.

FACTS:

Hopkins vs. Smith is a 12-round light heavyweight battle presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Star Boxing and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, BORN BOLD and Casa Mexico Tequila. The event will be televised live on HBO’s flagship series beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for Hopkins vs. Smith are priced at $25, $50, $75, $105 and $205, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person, go on sale Monday, October 24, 2016 at 10:00 am PST. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or the Forum Box Office (Monday through Friday 11:00am PST to 7:00pm PST) at (310) 330-7300. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.fabulousforum.comorwww.ticketmaster.com.

Shabranskyy vs. Barrera is a 10-round bout for the WBC USNBC Light Heavyweight championship, presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Main Events and sponsored by “Tecate, BORN BOLD,” and Casa Mexico Tequila Doors open at 4:00 p.m. PT and the first fight begins at 4:15 p.m. PT. The HBO Latino® Boxing telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT). Ticket information to be announced shortly.

It was a night of knockouts at a sold out Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles as a series of jaw-dropping matches kept the crowd at the edge of their seats. The spectacle had special guests, including Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya, NABA Super Featherweight Champion Carlos “The Solution” Morales, Ronny Rios, Jason “El Animal” Quigley, Antonio “La Joya” Gutierrez, Christian “Chimpa” Gonzalez, Oscar “Jaguar” Negreje, Roy “Pitbull” Tapia, Emilio Sanchez, Vergil Ortiz, Jr. and Niko “Baby Face” Valdes.

The main event, airing live nationally on Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estelar and live streamed by the Ring TV, featured Vyacheslav “Lion Heart-Chigonsky” Shabranskyy (17-0, 14 KOs) taking on Laredo, Texas fighter Oscar “El Monstruo” Riojas (10-6-1, 3 KOs) for a scheduled eight-round light heavyweight bout. In the first round, Shabranskyy was clearly feeling out his opponent, entering the ring calm and steady as he threw a couple of jabs, with Riojas responding. At the one minute and 43 second mark in the third round, Shabranskyy landed a straight right punch to the chin that made Riojas fall to the boxing mat. As Riojas got back up to continue the fight, “Chingonsky” released power punches that Riojas could not handle, making the referee stop the fight. Shabranskyy’s ultimately retained his undefeated status with a technical knockout victory.

“In the first round, I wanted to feel him out, find out what he had as a fighter,” said Shabranskyy. “By the second round I started to expose his weaknesses and knew that I could finish the fight early, and that was what my corner was telling me to do. I try to make sure I listen to my corner as they can see things that I can’t. Luckily we were able to finish the fight early, and I am looking forward to the next fight.”

“I feel really disappointed, this fight was not how I expected it to go,” said Riojas. “The knockout caught me by surprise and there was nothing I could do. I feel really disappointed about how this ended but everyone can definitely expect me back in the ring soon again.”

In the co-main feature also broadcast live on Estrella TV’s Boxeo Estellar, undefeated super featherweight prospect Ivan “Striker” Delgado (10-0-1, 3 KOs) took on Alejandro Ochoa (7-12-2, 1 KO) in an eight-round event. The first rounds featured equally matched fighters, both landing impressive power punches. The heated exchanges of packed punches featured the warriors’ heated exchanges that wore down Ochoa. It was in the seventh round where the “Striker” saw his opportunity at the one minute and 46 second mark, where he landed three left hooks in a row that sent Ochoa straight to mat. The knock out gave yet another victory to the undefeated Delgado.

“I kept going really hard throughout all the rounds, and I knew I would eventually get the knockout because I hurt him early on by knocking him down,” said Delgado. “I never got frustrated because I knew I had to keep my cool and land my punches so I didn’t get sloppy-that’s how I was able to successfully capture the knockout.” (more…)

August 7- Three of Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing fighters saw action this weekend and the results were explosive.

Light Heavyweight contender Yunieski Gonzalez returned to the winning column after two consecutive heart breaking defeats to former world champ Jean Pascal and undefeated contender Vyacheslav Shabransky, scoring an explosive 1st round KO over the dangerous Brazilian Jackson Junior, in Miami, FL, on Saturday night. Under new trainer Pedro Diaz, Gonzalez came out fast and furious and dropped Junior 3 times causing a halt to the bout in the 1st round of a scheduled 10 round Light Heavyweight contest. Gonzalez improves to 17-2 13KO’s.

Also on Saturday night in Philadelphia, PA, Jr. Welterweight contender Emanuel “Tranzforma” Taylor scored his second consecutive KO win as he took out Mexican Carlos Aguilera in the 3rd round of a scheduled 8 round Jr. Welterweight match. A devastating left hook to the body put down the game Aguilera for the count. Taylor improves to 20-4 14KO’s and now has his eyes set on a September 3rd date with the highly ranked Jose Zepeda in Arizona. The bout will be telecast live on BEIN TV and is co-promoted by Star Boxing and Zanfer Promotions.

Friday night in Los Angeles, CA, Jr. Lightweight Luis Franco, unfortunately, was the victim of some rather dubious scoring as he dropped a 10 round verdict to the fast rising Carlos Morales in the main event on Estrella TV. Franco was the far more experienced of the two and constantly made Morales miss throughout the fight while he countered nicely and dictated much of the pace of the fight. However, in the end, somehow the judges awarded Morales with the victory by unanimous decision. Franco drops to 14-2-1 9KO’s. The bout was co-promoted by Star Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions.

Promoter Joe DeGuardia had these comments about the weekend results “Although I’m thrilled that Yuniesky and Emanuel both looked spectacular, I’m disappointed in the decision of the Franco fight. Yuniesky and Emanuel both looked great and now Manny has another opportunity on September 3rd to put himself in the picture of the Jr. Welterweight division taking on the number 2 rated Jose Zepeda. Yuniesky headlined the show in his hometown of Miami for the first time and the turnout was great. We will be going back to Miami again in the very near future”.